Thursday, 25 April 2019

THE PERFECT DAY TRIP AWAY FROM LONDON: EXPLORING RYE & CAMBER SANDS

I have not always lived in London. In fact after living in Germany until the age of 12 my parents decided to move us all over to a tiny farm in the middle of nowhere between Rye and Hastings, in the deepest East Sussex countryside, to start a new life in the UK.
Why? Well, work prospects and education were for sure better over here, though they could have been equally enjoyed while living in let’s say Canterbury or Brighton or any suburb of any reasonably sized British town. Instead my dad had some idealised version of living a farmer’s life in his head, not bearing in mind that he was a computer loving dentist that rarely actually ventured outside, and that he had a wife and daughter who pretty had always lived in big towns and weren’t exactly used to muddy paths, cow shit everywhere and buses running every two hours.

The years I lived on Lower Snailham Farm, yup that was the name, were not the easiest of my life. I was a teenager that had moved country and the time I spent in Rye, the town or village whatever you may call it, where my secondary school was located, seem like a bit of blur looking back- a lot of feeling like an outsider and trying to get my head around British culture (still working on that if I am honest!). I therefore never really appreciated the picture perfect village I got to go to school in. I didn’t even go to the sandy beach at Camber, mere minutes by car away, more than a couple times…I guess you never really appreciate what is around you when you are there and even less so if you are a teenager in a serious identity crisis, having to make friends in a new country and a new language.

11 years later Rye has become somewhat “hip”- easily reachable from London, a sandy beach nearby, and with people more and more seeking the chance to escape the big smoke without having to get on a plane. Searching for a day trip destination with my lovely French friend Anne-Lise, who was a little more enthusiastic about exploring places outside London than the admittedly sometimes lazy and East London-centric me. Suddenly Rye kept popping up on every list we were finding online, whether by Vogue or Time Out, prized as an easy and beautiful escape, and I couldn’t help but jump at the chance to see it through the eyes of an adult, able to appreciate its beauty but also relive some memories.

In the end, we had an absolutely fantastic Good Friday in Rye, helped by the summer like temperatures, and it really did feel like I had gone on a mini holiday. It was interesting to see how much the town had shaped to suit London weekend visitor vibes (fancy gastro pubs anyone?) and I loved showing Anne-Lise spots that I recognised from what felt like a former life..Will I be back? For sure! Rye and Camber offer the perfect mix of picture perfect British village life and a taste of sandy beachy and the sea plus as an added hint of nostalgia for me that I was glad to revisited. I guess there is a life outside London! Below a little guide with a few tips and tricks for the perfect day trip to Rye and Camber Sands!

JUMP ON THE TRAIN FROM ST. PANCREAS STATION….

The train from London to Rye will take you only just over an hour, with a change at Ashford, and costs a very reasonable £28 return! You arrive straight in the town centre and by the bus stop that will get you to Camber Sands which makes everything easily walkable on foot. Be warned: if you are planning a trip during one of the upcoming bank holiday weekends leave plenty of time to pick up your tickets from one of the machines at St Pancreas station (I say 20 minutes at least)– I did not and nearly left a very angry Anne-Lise on the train by herself!!!

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET THERE:

WONDER AROUND THE COBBLED STREETS OF RYE WHEN YOU ARRIVE…

It’s a tiny place so no map is needed, just walk up the hill as you come out of the station and take in the beautifully kept cottages and gardens, you’ll end up walking in a circle back down to where you started.

CATCH THE HOURLY BUS TO CAMBER SANDS AND STOCK UP ON PICNIC
GOODS AT JEMPSONS…

The 102 leaves every hour right by Rye station to Camber, so plan your explore around the village bearing this in mind. A return ticket is £4.85 per person and to our pleasant surprise the bus even takes contactless payment, though no oyster card of course! There is a nice supermarket you can’t miss right by the station called Jempsons, which is more akin to a Wholefoods than your average badly stocked Sainsbury’s Local in London, so make sure to stock up on snacks and drinks there before getting on the bus, choices by the beach are limited and overpriced. We got ourselves a nice bottle of rose, crisps, grapes and hummus! The bus literally takes 10 minutes and as you get off at Camber Sands Holiday Park just follow the crowds to the beach via a quick 5 minute walk! It really could not be easier to go from pretty village to sandy beach in less than half an hour! Make sure to check when the hourly bus goes back (timetable is online here) so that you don’t end up stranded or waiting around unnecessarily, the last bus is around 7pm- not exactly 24/7 tube service!

BRING A TOWEL AND FIND A SPOT BY THE BEACH…

We didn’t have the foresight to bring one and ended up sitting on our jackets so make sure to bring a towel and some beach friendly clothes! It actually was not too rammed considering that it was a hot bank holiday weekend and everyone was making sure to take their rubbish with them as they left which was great to see you and I urge you to do the same.

ENJOY THE SUNSHINE AND GET YOURSELF A CLASSIC
99 FLAKE…..

After our picnic, we simply had to have a crappy soft whip ice cream by one of the stands right by the beach – it ain’t artisan gelato but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

We headed back into town for around 5ish and loved the little beer garden this picturesque pub right by the town’s medieval castle had to offer! A great family friendly atmosphere with view over the Rye marshes and a steal with a glass of wine being under a fiver.

GO FOR AN EARLY DINNER (ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVEN’T BOOKED
AND HAVE A TRAIN BACK TO CATCH) AT LOCAL GASTRO PUB FAVOURITE THE STANDARDINN..

The Standard Inn instantly won us over with its inviting, light flooded yet rustic interiors, think low wooden beams and beautifully restored fire places. The atmosphere was also great- many locals choosing this place as their watering hole of choice on a Friday night (I actually bumped into someone I went to school with and who I hadn’t seen in over 10 years which was all kinds of LOLZ), and the food was surprisingly refined and delicious, prepared with a focus of using local ingredients.

Our starter of potted crab was oozy and delicious, truffle fries were crisp and had a good truffle punch to them and my main of fish and chips was flawless, not greasy, served with a fantastic tartar sauce and definitely something you’d easily spent over £20 in a fancy east London pub for when here it was a mere £13.5. The perfect end to our day out that pleased even the most picky foodie (me).

MAKE SURE YOU READ YOUR TRAIN TICKET PROPERLY…

On bank holidays and Sundays the train comes hourly and stops running around 10:30pm. We accidentally missed the train we were meant to get by not checking our tickets properly (I part blame the rose and sunshine) and just about convinced the ticket conductor to let us on the last train out of Rye without having to pay extra, so unless you fancy a last minute hotel finding mission make sure you get to the station on time!
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